Fiction - Animals - General & Miscellaneous, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Animals

T. Rex

Name: T. Rex
Author: Alison Bartlett
ISBN: 9780763621841

by Alison Bartlett

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Overview

A young boy encounters some fascinating facts — and even more intriguing questions — aobut Tyrannosaurus rex in this lively ode to curiosity.

It began with an egg!
What size was the egg?
The egg was as big as your head . . . maybe.
Don't you know? Why don't you know?
It was millions and millions of years ago!

A grandson and granddad are touring the special T. rex exhibit, and there are so many things the young boy must know. Was the dinosaur egg in a nest? How did this T. rex grow? Did he track down live prey? The boy is intrigued to learn that as much as we know for sure about the greatest meat-eating dinosaur of them all, there is even more left for us to find out. Could the boy himself someday make those discoveries?

Synopsis

A young boy encounters some fascinating facts — and even more intriguing questions — in this lively ode to curiosity.

Publishers Weekly

PW wrote in a starred review, "This brief tale simply and succinctly sums up how much is still unknowable in the scientific world, while also acknowledging how much can be proven through study." Ages 5-8. (Sept.) n Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Alison Bartlett

Vivian French lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has written dozens of books, including GROWING FROGS, also illustrated by Alison Bartlett. "I've always loved dinosaurs," she says, "and the fact that we know so little about them fascinates me. In my lifetime the experts have changed their minds many times over. Maybe T. rex will turn out to be a dragon!"

Alison Bartlett lives in Bath, England, with her son, Joel. Together they search for dinosaur fossils but have yet to find one.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Lots of types of creatures start from an egg including our own human form. When a grandfather and his grandson visit a dinosaur museum there are many questions, answers and further speculation about how dinosaurs lived on our earth. The beginning of the book tells the reader that the larger print is the grandfather's voice and the smaller print is the grandson's voice. The middle size printing is from the scientist's viewpoint. Many facts that are attributed to T. Rex are given to the reader, but at the same time many questions still are unanswered. Poor grandfather seems to repeat the statement that he doesn't know for sure, as it all happened millions of years ago. The ending is charming as the grandfather explains that perhaps the person who finally finds all the correct facts about T. Rex might just be you. This is a colorful book with good dinosaur information. 2004, Candlewick Press, Ages 4 to 12.
—Barbara Youngblood

Kirkus Reviews

Representing all children who must know everything about T. rex, a lad grills his granddad as they take in a dinosaur show at the museum: "How were his teeth, his terrible teeth? / Were they sharp? Were they long? / Were they terribly strong?" Granddad answers as best he (and modern paleontology) can, but often he's forced to protest that, "It was millions and millions of years ago!" Using intensely hued acrylics applied in broad, visible brushstrokes, Bartlett depicts the two visitors examining dioramas of toothy carnivores in action (even engaged in a rather gory meal), then moving on to fossils, smaller scenes, and, at last, the inevitable dinosaur gift shop. French intersperses brief prose commentary to fill in some of the blanks, and has Granddad turn the tables on his young interrogator by suggesting that he-and by extension, readers-might one day themselves answer some of the many questions remaining about T. rex. That's an energizing idea for young dinosaur fans. (index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)